King of Darkness
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: The day Naruto opened the Scroll of Sealing was the day he died and discovered his lineage. Not that of a Namikaze. Nor an Uzumaki. His true lineage was something so much more. Something dark. Something wicked. Evil. Narutoxharem! Dark! Shippuuden.
1. Lord of Darkness

**A/N: Wow, sitting in a hospital bed after a brush with death gives you a lot, and I mean A LOT of time to think. This particular ficklet is an idea that's been stewing in my mind for quite some time now (and I WOULD publish it on Valentines Day) Go figure! What if Naruto was the great great great GREAT grandson of one of the most infamous villians in all of anime history? Sephiroth? Nope, already been done. Sosuke Aizen? As if a man like that would ever have a family. Uchiha Madara? Seriously, just no.**

**Who could I be speaking of? Who could be so wicked that hell itself spat him back out...that's right. Oda Nobunaga! Now, that being said, I will give you fair warning. This chapter is a bit dark in kind toward some of the villages and characters as we see the ugly nature of the shinobi world begin to emerge. Villages will burn. Harems will be founded. Badassery will and is to be expected. That being said, enjoy!**

_"May the whisper of my name haunt your days, until I one day return, to make your nightmares real..."_

_~Oda Nobunaga._

**Lord of Darkness**

For as long as Fu could remember, she'd wanted to die.

For as long as she could remember Fu had been Takigakure's ace in the hole. Whether she wanted to be or not. At sixteen years of age, she was one of most powerful_-if not the most beautiful-_kunocihi in the Hidden Waterfall Village. Unfortunately, she was also the most reviled. Because Fu was a demon container. A jinchuuriki. She held Choumei, the Seven-Tailed Horned Beetle within her body, sealed into her by her deceased mother; who, having drank the Hero's Water of their village in order to seal the beast within Fuu's chest, perished shortly thereafter. She was the weapon of the village, used in times of great peril, and utterly reviled for her own unstable power. Loathed by her entire village, even as she protected them; knowing they'd gladly abandon her, given the slightest provocation.

So she'd abandoned them first.

The instant she realized _they_ were after her, she'd fled the village. Why? Because she'd known. Because they wouldn't save her. They wouldn't protect her. They didn't even care for her, much less tolerate her continued existence. So she'd run. Long and hard and fast, not caring for her direction, just so long as it put Takigakure behind her. Her frantic flight from her village had lasted three years before she eventually landed her in the Land of Iron, also known as country where the Samurai resided. Supposedly this was where the Five Kage Summit would be held to deal with the Akatsuki. In her travels she'd learned that most of her fellow jinchuuriki had already been captured by those rogue shinobi. Most, but not all.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was still at large. Like her, he'd also fled his village some years back, though the means and manner of his escape remained shrouded in secrecty. She suspected he was on the lamb now, just like her. She knew precious little about him in terms of appearance save that he had whiskered cheeks, blue eyes and blond hair. The brief glimpse she'd gotten of him had been in a bingo book she'd picked off of a tracker nin's corpse. He'd massacred an entire squad of Anbu once, elevating his status to that of an SS-Class missing nin. What's more, and if the last shinobi she'd interrogated had been correct, he was the great, great great _great_ descendant of one of the most wicked men to ever walk this earth. The Dai-rokuten no mao, also known as the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven...

_Oda Nobunaga._

Scary stuff, that guy.

Even Fu knew the the horrors the Oda clan had wrought on the earth before finally being obliterated by their distant relatives, the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans. It had been a basic history lesson at the academy, before she'd had the Nanabi sealed between her breasts. So what was a member of an _extinct_ clan doing in the bingo book? Had the Oda clan not been wiped out after all? Had the survivors secretly married into the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans instead? Fu resolved to ask herself this on a latter date. For now, it only mattered that she get herself as far away from here as humanly possible.

Thus far though, everything had gone according to plan. Her petition to join the Samurai had been flatly refused. as expected. A demon container could not be trusted, they'd said. Especially a demon-container-turned missing nin. One did not forake their village lightly, no matter the reason. They wouldn't even let her see any of the Kage. So she'd eavesdropped. Thanks to her rare camoflauge ability, Fu had been able to infiltrate the summit and learn of the kage's nefariou scheme. They planned to recapture the Kyuubi jinchuuriki by using one of his childhood friends as bait. Some Hyuuga or something.

Once they'd successfully dragged the demon container back to the village, they planned to drug him, wipe his memories clean, and use him as a weapon in their war against the Akatsuki. The very notion of it galled Fu. Why did the world see them as weapons? As tools to be used in battle? Jinchuuriki were people, too! They had as much right to live their life, as anyone else did!

She might have learned more, had the Akatsuki not chosen that moment to strike. A strange plant like creature sprouted through the floor, declaring that Uchiha Sasuke had snuck into the conference. At first she'd thought the Uchiha came for her, just as he'd come for the Hachibi. He hadn't. Instead, the sole remaining member of that infamous clan gravitated toward the Rokudaime Hokage; a man by the name of Danzo Shimura. Apparently the last Uchiha held some sort of grudge against the man. Fu didn't know, and quite frankly Fu didn't care. She'd used the chaos to her advantage; sneaking away under cover of darkness while the Uchiha kept the Five Kage's occupied. One Uchiha against five kage-class shinobi?

The poor kid was probably dead and rotting in a ditch by now. Fu silently offered him her thanks for aiding in her escape, albeit unintentionally.

"Let's have a chat, shall we, jinchuuriki-san?"

Fu froze.

Stopping her forward momentum, the sixteen, almost seventeen year old kunoichi came to an abrupt halt as the madman known as Uchiha Madara slowly materialized in front of her. Gritting her teeth, she watched as the man finished his transformation, then proceeded to casually lean against a nearby tree trunk, arms crossed over his chest. When he said nothing, she edged backwards. So this then, was Uchiha Madara. The self-imposed leader of the Akatsuki.

"What, no hello from you?" Madara clucked his tongue. "That makes me a little sad."

"Why the hell would I want to say hello to you?" Fu growled. Panic clawed at her throat, made a tight fist in her stomach. _No. Dear maker, no._ She had to get away from here. Now. If this really was Uchiha Madara, then she had no chance of winning. If she tried to fight, she would be defeated. If she was defeated, then she would be captured. If she was captured then it was all over. She'd been seeking death for what felt like an eternity now, and would have been content to welcome it under any other circumstance. Now that she knew that the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was in danger, even though they'd never met, she somehow felt obligated to warn him. She might hate all of humanity for what they had done to her, but she didn't hate him. She would have liked to meet him, she thought, taking another step backwards. Not that it would ever happen now.

"W-What do you want with me?" Fu cursed herself for the stutter and how weak it made her sound.

"Isn't it obvious?" The Uchiha sighed, then pushed forward from the tree he was resting against. "I just wanted to have a little fun. But I see you're not up for any games."

"The hell I'm not!" Fu hissed. "You've already captured the Hachibi, now you've come after me!"

Madara chuckled from behind his mask.

"While its true that we've captured most of the jinchuuriki, I'm afraid your information is woefully outdated." He held out both hands and proceeded to count down, from nine to three as she looked on, baffled. "Ichibi. Nibi. Sanbi. Yonbi. Gobi. Rokubi. Nanabi, Hachibi, Kyuubi." Madara ticked off the names one by one. "That leaves three. Once we've captured you, my Moon's Eye Plan will be one step closer to fruition. Now... I guess I should ask this once, just for old time's sake. Will you come with me peacefully so I can extract the Nanabi's chakra?"

A growl. "Never."

"I see." Well, that's a bit of a shame.

Fu might have said more, had Zetsu's spores not chosen that instant to sprout from her body. _Fu yowled._ She swung around, her amber eyes flaring saffron as she clawed her arms free from the stuff, only to be overwhelmed by more of the strange milky-white substance as it burst from her arms and neck and shoulders. She toppled forward and to one knee, struggling to extricate herself from beneath a mass of swelling spores. She did not succeed. Her cries grew more and more feeble, her weighted limbs too heavy to support her weight as the strength was sapped from them. She slumped to the snow and concentrated on breathing. It wouldn't take her long to die here, with so much of her chakra exposed to the spores.

But, _oh, kami,_ she didn't want to die.

"D-Damnit!" She cursed. "Damnit! Why are you doing this!"

She skittered backwards as dozens upon dozens of White Zetsu clones materialized around her. Rather, she tried. Instead, she only succeeded in miring herself even further in the muck and ripping open her blouse. Madara looked away from the teen for a second, up towards the sky. He shrugged as he looked back down. "Separating the wheat from the chaff, that's all. Only the strong deserve to witness the paradise I will bring to them."

With that he reached for Fu.

She screamed; a strange, wordless scream.

_"Daaaaaaaamniiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"_

Overshadowing that soft whistle, came a _sound_. It was strange, this sound, a reedy thin cry, that echoed on into the distance, as though it were the dying gasp of an ancicent creature. It hung in the air, reverberating around them for what seemed like an eternity, before finally losing its tune and fading sadly into the night. However, another chorus immediately overlapped its final note, filling the void that had been left to it by its short lived predecessor.

The antithesis to its parent, this melody contained the voice of a young woman's. Soft and despairing, vibrant and brimming with boundless desire, emanating boundless grief and sorrow within this, its final melody. Unlike its bretheren, it was easily recognizeable, and distinctly human in origin. 'Twas many things, yet all were one and the same. It was the voice of a young woman, whispering softly to her lover. It was the laughter of a little girl, innocent and kind. It was the cry of an insatiable demon, raw with fury and battle lust. It was the sound of many, and the voice of one. It was joy and sadness, anger and weakness, mistakes made, and yet to be made.

_And it was coming from inside her._

She felt Choumei rise to the fore, its anger washing over her like a tide of crimson-

And then it all stopped.

With nary a sound, a kunai phased through Madara's mask. The ceramic orange rippled harmlessly, allowing the deadly projectile to pass through the Uchiha's forehead with a small sigh. Fu wriggled upright, eerily aware of the Uchiha's hand protruding from her midsection as she scrambled limb ghosted through her as he straightened, his lone eye scanning the clearing for any sign of his attacker.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Uchiha-san." Called a voice.

Fu rounded on the sound, her eyes tracking across the gloom and endless white. And then she saw him. The moon and a half-mask hid the upper half of his face.

Thunder and lightning danced through the false and grief stricken afternoon sky as he descended to the battlefield. He was both terrible and handsome to behold. Death and suffering followed him as his stewards. His breath drew a third of the Zetsu armies sent against him to hell and those that remained were nothing more than a great feast for vultures. He was the one for whom darkness parted and became created; he held the soul of the enemy of all living things...he was death incarnate.

He laughed; it was a deep, throaty sound.

"Greetings, my deceased fellows."

Garbed entirely in black and silver armor, and armed to the teeth, the boy_-he couldn't have been much older than her-_crested the hill with slow, smooth steps. Upon reaching the plateau, he folded his gauntleted arms and awaited a response. Silhouetted against the clouds and the moonlight sky, his shadow stretched across the ground alongside a red cloak, stradling the landscape like an angel of death. Given the circumstances, Fu should have welcomed the intrustion with relief. Instead, she was inexplicably overcome with fear. Terror, as this blond-haired whiskered stranger forsook the path of patience and advanced upon them, his sword clearing its scabbard with a raspy hiss.

Suddenly, she wasn't so certain.

"Deceased?" Madara tilted his head, giving the newcomer a sidelong glance through the hole in his mask. "That's an interesting way of putting things, isn't it?" He didn't even so much as glance at the charred bodies of White Zetsu surrounding them. His gaze remained fixated upon this armored newcomer who bore both blade and strange barreled weapon with twin barrels that he didn't quite recognize. What kind of weapon was that?

"Yes." The man continued, dropping down from the hill with an effortless grace bellying his charm. "The current situation doesn't allow for your survival." With swift and steady steps he stalked forward through the snow, shoving his smiling face at the masked madman. "Therefore, you are dead, Uchiha Madara." He let the statement hang unadorned between them; a gorgeous white grin streaking across the lower half of his face.

He slapped Madara.

_Not gently._

The flat of an open palm cracked across the man's mask and shattered it, showering Fu with shards of chakra-embued porcelain. Madara staggered backward, his visible eye now wide with alarm. He'd never had his intangibility breached before. Never. Not once. Not unless he was attacking. And here this man_-this boy!-_had struck him, as though he were naught but a child. It infuriated him.

"Who are you?" he demanded, struggling to stem the flow of blood from a nasty gash in his forehead.

The interloper did not honor him with a response.

Instead the armored stranger struck again, his sword hand sundering the air as it descended toward Fu's head. Her eyes flew wide, only to snap shut as she braced herself for her end and her demise. Nothing happened. The White Zetsu clinging to her succumbed to the sword's wrath and withered on the spot, freeing Fu from its grasp. She tumbled forward and into the arms of a second armored stranger. A kage bunshin. She frowned, glaring bleary-eyed at the armored assailant as he advanced upon Madara, sweeping a swathe of destruction before him.

_'Who the hell is this guy?' _Fu wondered, as the armored attacker did what he did best. He attacked. His sword descended with a mournful how and stained the snow scarlet. In the span of a second that it took for her to recognize the blood, she also realized that the man had somehow surmounted Madara's intangibility. Again.

The famed founder of Konoha staggered backwards, clutching at his now lifeless left eye. Bloody viscera dripped from the now useless orb, forever denied the life of day. With a maddened grin, the sword-wielder plunged his free hand into the holster holding his strangely barreled weapon. Upon removing it, he pointed it at Madara and squeezed the trigger, to devastating effect.

Madara flew.

_Literally._

His body struck the snow and bounced, striking the ground end over end as if someone had just severed his spinal column. Judging by the way he lay there, Fu suspected he had done just that. As he struggled to rise, the interloper took aim with the strange rifle again, depressing the trigger in quick succession. Blood spurted from Madara's arms, legs, then chest as the lead projectiles pierced his shroud of supposed invincibilty, striking flesh and marrow and bone.

Fu had seen it. She'd seen it all. She'd seen it as chakra coiled about the projectiles, warping the bullets to a speed inconveivable to the human eye. Not at all, as she watched crimson chakra envelop his right arm, twisting the appendage into ghastly and grotesque proportions. She watched the change take place, watched as a cloak of crimson took hold of his features and sharpened them into something like that of a kitsune.

"You wish to know who my name?" The man asked, his tone bleak. "Very well! Look upon my face and know the one who has ruined you, Uchiha Madara!"

The man removed his mask and cast it aside, exposing his visage to the elements. Fu took in whiskered cheeks and blond hair and blue eyes and marveled at him. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Uzumaki Naruto. He was here! He was alive! Even as she struggled to accept it, to accept the fact that one of her own had come to save her, she shuddered. Both the cold and the frostbite were beginning to get to her, and her lack of attire certainly wasn't helping any.

"You," Madara exclaimed aghast, glaring bloody red daggers at the boy. "Uzumaki Naruto! To think that you'd been alive all along...

"Wrong." The man fired another round into the Uchiha's broken leg, his expression unchanging as the Uchiha founder screamed in agony. "Uzumaki Naruto has been dead for quite some time now." Discarding his weapon, he leaned close, his expression one of deadly intent. He seized Uchiha Madara by the throat and forced him upright bringing the aged Uchiha within inches of his face. He smiled. Then he levered him into the snow with enough force to shatter the earth.

"Listen to me, Uchiha Madara, and listen well." He began, his words growing in ferocity with each and every syllable. "Uzumaki Naruto is dead. He died the day you decided it would be fun to torment him with the knowledge of his parents, all those years ago. He died the day he stole the Scroll of Sealing and learned of his true lineage. He whom is before you now...is not Uzumaki Naruto."

Fu felt the life leach from her features. So this was what the prescence of another Jinchuuriki felt like. It was overwhelming. Horrifying. It made Choumei quail with terror; her tenant's once brash personality made quiet and reserved in the prescence of this monstrosity.

An overpowering sensation of pressure bore down upon her like an invisible hand. She sensed something enormous nearby, silent in the dark, like a giant passing within arms reach. A gravid deadly prescence too huge to grant her notice. She glanced to Naruto and saw him grin, grin as her fingertips pressed against her temples. A droplet of blood fell from her nose as the armored ex-shinobi continued to speak.

"Worship me. Fear me. For the crime of attacking my fellow jinchuuriki, die now and repent forever." His grip tightened, his gloved fingers grinding against blood and sinew and bone. "There are none before me. There are none behind me. I am the Devil King of the Seventh Heaven; _Oda Namikaze Naruto!"_ His eyes blazed black and slitted with crimson and the last thing Madara saw was his own death, repeated a thousand different times over.

Then the unmasked man grinned; it was a sickly sweet smile that promised death.

"You can't kill me, boy." Madara said, mocking him. "I'm immortal. And I _will_ extract your biju. I'll chase you and that girl to the ends of the earth if I that's what it takes!"

"I'd like to see you try with a body full of bullets and broken spine, _**fake** _Madara-san." Naruto countered darkly. "You won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Neither will the Uchiha you've seen so fit to manipulate, once I've had my fun with him." His grin spoke volumes. "Oh, and don't worry about Konan. I'll be sure to give her your regards." If Madara had been stunend before, then now he was speechless. The boy had just ferreted out his plan to twist Sasuke _and_ obtain the Rinnegan in one fell swoop. No. This was not happening to him. He had a war to start, and the boy was about to deprived him of his two strongest assets _and_ there was nothing Madara could do about it in his current state. Even as he struggled to proccess his own powerlessness, the rage came.

"How did you-

Naruto's only response was to smile as he released the Uchiha. He took Fu from the shadow clone, ignoring the girl's small meep of surprise as he swept her off her feet like a newlywed bride. The latter advanced upon Madara; its fingers clenched into claws as its master seized a fistful of his own cloak and pulled the battered girl into his embrace. A harsh laugh escaped him as the elderly Uchiha tried in vain to prevent his newfound attacker from breaking the rest of his bones.

"Now, I bid you farewell!"

Naruto swept his cloak around himself and Fu and with a rustle of icy wind...

...they were gone.

Leaving "Madara" to stew in a pile of his own rapidly freezing blood.

_"Damn you, Oda Namikaze Naruto!"_

**A/N: Argh who are you really, Tobi! We know you're not Madara really, which means you're a fake, but who in blazes are you! This fic was a challenge from an old friend, now that my arms are working again! My ticker is still ticking, folks! In this fic Naruto is the descendant of one of the most BADASS villians in all of history, Oda Nobunaga! And a king has to have his concubines, no? This is by far my most favorite work ever, and will be updated along with my other fics in accordance! I'm going to live, people! So Pm AND review AND vote on the poll for who should be in Naruto's harem! Fu is already in! The other choices are solely in your hands, so by all means, convince me of your reasons! Or don't, and just tell me what you think of the story and who you want in the harem XD!**

**R&R! =D**


	2. Ladies of Darkness

**A/N: Wow, sitting in a hospital bed after a brush with death gives you a lot, and I mean A LOT of time to think. This particular ficklet is an idea that's been stewing in my mind for quite some time now (and I WOULD publish it on Valentines Day) Go figure! What if Naruto was the great great great GREAT grandson of one of the most infamous villians in all of anime history? Sephiroth? Nope, already been done. Sosuke Aizen? As if a man like that would ever have a family. Uchiha Madara? Seriously, just no.**

**Who could I be speaking of? Who could be so wicked that hell itself spat him back out...that's right. Oda Nobunaga! Now, that being said, I will give you fair warning. This chapter is a bit dark in kind toward some of the villages and characters as we see the ugly nature of the shinobi world begin to emerge. Villages will burn. Harems will be founded. Badassery will and is to be expected. That being said, enjoy!**

_"May the whisper of my name haunt your days, until I one day return, to make your nightmares real..."_

_~Oda Nobunaga._

**Ladies of Darkness**

Yakushi Kabuto was not pleased.

Nay, he was beyond displeased.

_He was furious._

The early morning light gleamed off his pasty pale skin, exposing pale golden eyes, narrowed in fury, as he surveyed the damage done to his laboratory. His base was in utter ruin. Bodies lay scattered about, eviscerated from the waist down. The putrid stench of rotting flesh permeated the gloom, making him naueseous. And that wasn't the worst of it. All his experiments, all of his test subjects...were gone! Stolen! Taken! It made his blood boil! Years of precious work by Orochimaru-sama...vanished, in the blink of an eye!

Not only had someone broken into Orochimaru's_-his!-_lab, they'd also stolen several scroll containing information based on the Edo Tensei. Why anyone would want information on _that_ jutsu was beyond him. Unless that someone had massive amounts of chakra and the reserves necessary to command them. But such a person did not exist he assured himself. Only a jincuuriki would have such phenomenal reserves, and even then, to flawlessly perform the ritual and they were already all but extinct...

The thought brought him little comfort.

As the rumors went, someone had taken the screws to Uchiha Madara, leaving the man half-dead. What if that person were a jinchuuriki? What if that person were responsible for the sudden disappearance of Shimmura Danzo and Uchiha Sasuke? What if this person came for _him,_ next? Kabuto shuddered. He couldn't afford to die. Not yet. Not when he'd only just assimilated Orochimaru-sama's remains, not when he'd only _just_ begun to understand the true depths of his lord's power...

Perhaps an alliance with Uchiha Madara wasn't wise, after all. If the imposter could be defeated this easily, than of what use could his army possibly be? Not much. He'd much rather consign himself to the service of the man who'd crippled the masked madman. Assuming said man didn't slaughter him on the spot for offering his services. But how to go about it? A show of strength would be neglibile at best. Whomever he was, he'd likely take it as an offense. A show of good faith, then? An offering, perhaps? But it begged the question: what to offer a souless killer?

Jutsu?

Money?

Women?

Kabuto was going to have to reassess his game plan if he wanted to survive...

* * *

_(Amegakure)_

"The man who could cripple a nation...

Konan scarcely looked away when the air ruptured before her. She'd laid Yahiko and Nagato's bodies to rest long ago, and the Rinnegan with them. Now, all that remained for her to do was await Madara's imminent arrival. He would be coming here soon. For the Rinnegan. Konan refused to surrender it lightly. She would not let him defile their final resting place. She would not let him take the Rinnegan. This she swore. When Madara came, he'd have a fight on his hands.

The fight of a lifetime.

Therefore, when the air began to rupture before her, when the atmosphere itself bent and fluxxed inward, she prepared herself for the worst. This would be the end. One way or another, this would her finale. Her greatest hour, or her ultimate failure. _Enough!_ He was coming. Steeling her heart and strengthening her resolve, she prepared herself, a grimace of determination settling across her features as she awaited his grand entrance.

"Madara!" Konan dropped into a combat stance. "I won't let you-**!**

_"Sorry to dissapoint,"_ A voice echoed from beyond the void. "But Madara-san won't be in attendance today." An armored hand tore through the abyss, revealing a messy mop of blond hair, "But by all means, let us converse." Sapphire shone from beyond the veil as another stepped out onto the water, a wide grin streaking across his face as he split the gaping expanse and stradled it, this warrior clad in silvery gleaming demonic armor, his red cape billowing above the roaring waters. Suddenly, Konan felt ill. _Ill_ as a sheer force, a prescence, emerged from the blackness; clad in chakra the shape of a kitsune. It rushed forth in a greeting; jarring her from her perch above the waves as its master rippled into existence.

"You!" She exclaimed aghast, glaring balefully at the newcomer. "Why are _you_ here?"

Oda Namikaze Naruto flicked a hand through his hair, the blond mess perfecting itself at the touch of his fingertips. The rain immediately stamped it back down; the normally spike locks falling flat against the torrentional downpour. Still, the Oda's smile did not lessen in the slightest.

"Its been a long time, Konan." He began benignly, "You're looking well."

The woman spat.

"Not nearly long enough, _Oda."_

"Don't make such a face." Naruto grinned. "It belittles your beauty." He gestured to the mighty spires of Amegakure. "I had no animosity towards Nagato, and I certainly don't hold any for you. Can't we just let bygones be bygones and fufill his dream together?" In that instant, Konana saw red. How dare he speak of her and Nagato's dream! He was the one who'd crushed it! And he had the nerve to speak of him like this_...how dare he!_

An origami shuriken split Naruto's cheek, leaking a lone tear of crimson into the sea.

The Oda didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

"I expected no less of a former member." he sighed, shrugged as the wound fizzled shut. "You really are willing to fight me to the death for the sake of his dream, aren't you?"

"What would you know of dreams!" Konan's voice broke with emotion. "You've only ever sullied them!"

Naruto frowned, the smile dripping from his face like so much water in the rain.

"I'm going to let that one slide, Konan-san." He began slowly, his eyes simmering into scarlet. "Why? Because I don't need Nagato's Rinnegan. I need _you;_ because you're the reason I'm here. _You're_ the one I've come for, Konan." He took his hand away from his face, revealing violet, rimmed eyes for all the world to see. Nagato's eyes stared out at her, despite being located in his skull, miles away from here. Konan's eyes narrowed in burning anger, her irises shrinking as she clenched her fist tightly. How dare he? _How dare he_ have those eyes!

"Where?" She demanded. "Where did you get those eyes?"

Naruto laughed; it was a pained, hollow sound.

"The Oda clan is _full_ of secrets, Konan." With one hand he reached toward his sword; with the other, his strange, barreled weapon. "Would you like me to show you another?"

Konan glared bloody red daggers at the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. She loathed this boy, in every aspect of the word. She wanted to kill him. Oh, how she wanted to kill him! Because of him, she'd lost the only friend she had. Because of him, she'd fled the Akatsuki. Because of him, she stared death straight in the face and spat at it. At him. At this _merciful_ as if such a term applied to him, Oda, who claimed he hadn't come to kill her as she'd initially feared.

_'Well, that's just too bad.'_ Konan thought to herself. _'Because one way or the other, I'm going to kill you.'_ She'd seeded the area full of paper bombs in preparation for Madara, but they'd work just as well on this madman. No one could survive ten minutes of explosions. Not even the monster who'd slain Nagato.

This boy had singlehandedly laid waste to the Six Paths of Pain amidst the ruins of Konoha and in doing so, saved the village. Ironically, he hadn't wanted to save it. He simply claimed to be the harbinger of Konoha's destruction, not its saviour. He'd still defeated Nagato, however, wielding all manner of demonic ninjutsu, against which her old friend was no match. Nor was she.

He'd tracked them down, and then, with Nagato already dying, forced him to revive the populace of Konoha. Why? Because he would be the one to kill them, not Akatsuki. He was twisted, right down to the core. Reviving someone only to kill them again? That was seriously fucked up. And what's more...those eyes! Those eyes, staring her down as if this were all her fault! It wasn't! _It was his!_ This rechid _Oda_ was the one at fault for taking her beloved Nagato away!

"Last chance." Naruto announced, his finger curling around the trigger. "Come with me, Konan."

_"Never!"_

Konan lunged forward, her hands flying into the seals necessary to open the chasms of paper bombs beneath them. She never made it. Naruto simply tracked with the motion and brought the rifle to bear upon her and fired. Instead of bullets_-as she'd expected from conventional weaponry_-a blazing sphere of energy ignited at the rifle's tip. It bulged and swelled, fed by tainted chakra, until it reached the size of a small planetoid.

_'Too much chakra!'_

Konan tried, and failed to slow her advance. If that thing hit her...

**_"Bansho Ten'in!"_**

Unbidden, Konan felt herself fly forward.

Naruto grinned, beckoning with two fingers as he launched the asteroid-sized blast.

The strange sphere roared forward and tore against Konan's body. The attack had been too close for her to block, much less avoid; she had no choice but to take the impact directly to her chest. She flew back in agony as the dark wave ripped at her face and chest, her cloak burning away from her flesh. The blast seemed to last for eons before blowing past as gravity took over, her body spiraling towards the ground limply.

But it didn't end there.

_"Rejoice!" _He cackled, bringing the weapon to bear._"You foolish woman!"_

Naruto took aim with the shotgun again, the dual barrels already swelling with another round of energy. Still in the air, Konan could only scream as a second blast burst forth from the gun and collided with her stomach. The incredibly velocity all but launched her across the water, pushing her into and towards the city of Amegakure. A massive _swell of energy _erupted from the shotgun's barrel yet again, Konan's body tumbling downwards as she was pushed away by the beam of energy.

She slammed into the soil with a pained gasp, her back arching in agony as the ground cratered beneath her. She groaned, made as if to rise, but before she could both the faint click of a loaded weapon commanded her attention. Naruto stood above her now, the shotgun barrel less than an inch from her forehead. She propped herself onto her elbows before she'd realized; she wasn't going to make it in time.

_**"Shinra Tensei!"**_

The fourth and final attack was one Konan knew all too well and one she'd never have thought to face herself. _The Almighty Push._ The ground groaned beneath her, cratering against the gravity well, forcing her onto her hands and knees. But she did not die. Whether from some semblance of naiviete or mercy, he did not kill her. He left her broken and battered, but still very much alive. This was it, then. She had five seconds to kill him before he used that technique again. Before the next one killed her. Of this she had no doubts. Her body couldn't stand up to the Almighty Push at this range more than once. This was her last chance.

"Have you had enough, Konan?" Naruto leaned over her, his expression bordering on madness. "Or shall we continue this little farce-

_Now!_

Konan flopped upright, feigned weakness for half a second. Then she pounced. She tackled him, twining her legs within his own, knocking him to the ground and spooning her body against him. Her right hand seized his throat, while the other made a valiant attempt at his eyes, hoping to leave him blind. She'd at least crush his Rinnegan before she went into that cold night. She would at least die fighting before he broke her wrist, before...

_...before he kissed her._

Konan's heart took flight like a bird.

Her eyes shot open in surprise; his kiss was cool but gentle, his two lips caging her upper lip between them. She wanted to kick him, to scream out in anger, but she was completely overwhelmed by him as he released her wrist and cupped her cheek with his hand. She soon found herself returning the kiss, deepening it as she opened her mouth and slid her tongue out and against his. She reached upwards with her arms and wrapped them around his neck as she pulled his body closer to hers. Sick to her stomach, she felt like she was betraying Nagato, but she simply couldn't bring herself to pull away from Naruto's lips.

Then she felt him smile into the kiss. Smile, as his free hand sought her stomach. _Smile,_ as the swirling energies gathered there, leaving her baffled and deafened. Konan had only an instant to recognize the jutsu before it impacted her stomach with all the force of a sledgehammer.

_"Rasengan."_

_Now_ she was beaten.

Konan gave a strangled cry of pain as she fell back. The low powered rasengan did little more than shred her clothes and knock the wind from her lungs, but it was more than enough. Her Akatsuki cloak and the vest beneath it lay in utter ruin. Her left breast lay exposed to the rain, sparsely covered by the matted tresses of her now singed hair; her leggings reduced to little more than tattered scraps of fabric. Konan's chest ached and it was painful to breathe but she did so anyway. She would not give him the satisfaction of watching her perish. She lay there amidst the rain and leered up at him, her face contorted into a rictus of betrayal and white-hot fury.

"You tricked me," She accused, touching a hand to her lips. "You...You kissed me!"

Naruto stood over her, exultant, darkly triumphant.

"I will do whatever it takes to accomplish my goal." He avowed. "I will crush and curse and kill whomever stands in my way." Cold fury burned her world white. "But you, I will not kill. I shall spare you, Konan." He spoke the words as if she should feel honoured. Instead she felt only a nameless dread. "I will bestow upon you an honor known only too a handful of women. I will make you mine."

She struggled to rise. The cold metal of the shotgun against her temple argued otherwise.

_"Enough of this!"_ Naruto's tone left no room for arguement. Discussion closed. "Bow down and submit to me, Konan!"

She wanted to fight. She wanted to resist. But somehow, she could not bring herself to fight those eyes. Nagato's eyes. The Rinnegan bored into her soul and demanded utter obedience. Nothing less. She knew Nagato's eyes remained with Nagato, but these eyes held the same determination. The same fire. The same, unyielding, unflinching, sheer strength and resolve of her now deceased friend. For all her hate of Naruto, Konan admired it. And in the end she simply could not bring herself to resist.

"I...will submit."

Naruto grinned.

"Good girl."

His blade annointed her left shoulder, then her right, drawing a thin pinprick of blood from each.

"I hereby name you as my concubine."

Concubine?

The notion made Konan seethe. Naruto must have noticed this; because he frowned.

"Clothes can be replaced." Naruto holstered his shotgun and sheathed his sword. "The suffering you've endured, cannot." He offered her his hand. "Come with me, Konan." He repeated once more. "Come with me and try to kill me! Thrash and struggle and flail until you attain the revenge you so earnestly desire!"

That settled it.

Konan seized his hand, and allowed herself to rise. It was in that instant that she knew. She knew Yahiko and Nagato's bodies would have to be burned, to keep the Rinnegan from Madara's hands. Just as she knew this alliance was temporary. She would kill Oda Namikaze Naruto someday for the crimes he'd commited against her and her friend. It was not today. Nor was it tomorrow. But someday, someday soon, she would have her revenge.

"I will kill you someday." Konan swore, her gaze meeting his. "Make no mistake of that."

The blond grinned savagely.

"I aim to please."

* * *

_(Miles away, in an undisclosed location in the Land of Lightning)_

Fu was hopelessly confused.

He'd done something to the doors and windows, locked her in somehow. She knew that because she'd tried to climb out the window in the bedroom. She'd been neither able to unlock it nor break the glass. If she escaped she still wouldn't be able to shake her pursuers, of course, but she'd rather die trying. That was better than having Naruto do the deed. She had no doubt he would. For all his charm and softening of smiles, there was a ruthlessness in his eyes that warned her to stay wary.

He hadn't spoke so much as a word to her since leaving her here, and she'd since stirred to find herself alone. The bedroom he'd left her in was small but not compact, large enough to house separate bed opposite her own and adjacent to the door. Speaking of which...

_...it was open._

He'd left the door open! Knowing she had few chances left, she sprang up and ran for it. Some invisible barrier flashed tingling pain through her and tossed her backward. She slid on the bedroom floor until coming to a stop near the bed itself. Pushing up on her hands, she glowered at the seamless spell that kept her confined to this room. Down the stairs, someone clucked their tongue and mumbled softly.

"The young master has requested that you refrain from this foolishness during his abscence, Fu-dono." It was the voice of a male, but it did not belong to Naruto. "Should you continue these _foolish _attempts to escape, I will have to restrain you." And then, there was silence.

Flushed with shame, Fu flopped onto the bed. _Damn that Naruto!_ She didn't like this one bit! Did he really think her so dangerous, he had to confine her to the bedroom? Such a prick! She wanted _freedom_ not confinement! She didn't want to owe him anything by staying here and abusing his hospitality! By doing so in the past she'd brought Akatsuki down on the heads of innocent civilians, men and women and children alike. She'd stood by and done nothing; watching as they were slaughtered, knowing if she gave herself up for them, she'd be sharing in their fate.

She didn't want anymore blood done her hands.

But Naruto was forcing her to do that. The longer she stayed here, the longer she stayed with him, the more at risk she was.

That she lived even now was thanks to his own mercy. Not her own. That she was safe and warm and wrapped in a blanket was entirely his doing. _Not her own._ It galled her to know that she owed him her life to him. Without him she would be dead. A featureless corpse drained of life and chakra, left to freeze amongst the snow. Just the thought of such a demise made her shiver. It made her want to weep. _Again._ She'd already broken down and wept upon their arrival; thoughtlessly sobbing in his arms for what felt like hours on end before finally drifting off to sleep.

Then why did it feel like she'd betrayed herself by embracing him! By allowing him to hold her...

And just like that, as if she'd summoned him with that very thought, he was there. She hadn't heard him come up the stairs, but there he was, a small smile plastered to his face as he noticed the frustration etched into hers. If he noticed the room being in complete disaray, then he did little to indicate it.

She took in the rough, chiseled features of his face and marveled at him. He seemed smaller somehow, without his ancestor's armor. Granted, he still towered her by at least a head and a half, but it also put Fu at ease, knowing that her savior/captor wasn't quite the invincible juggernaut he'd once seemed. Garbed entirley in black garments, he'd not said a word before taking his place beside her. Mute, he offered her a steaming cup of warm milk. Fu nearly rejoiced, her anger forgotten in the wake of her favorite drink. How had he known she loved wam milk on a cold winter's eve? Had he drugged it, somehow? Oh, hell! It didn't matter!

Fu raised her gaze to his.

"Thank you," She whispered breathlessly, accepting the steaming cup from him, welcoming the warmth as it flooded back into her arms. She took a sip, wincing as the strong flavor. The milk was fresh _and_ freshly heated. She mumbled her thanks anew and set the glass to her lips.

"No thanks necessary." The Kyuubi jinchuuriki shook his head, looking on with keen interest as she gulped it down in one gulp and belched. Too late she realized her mistake and flushed. Fu exclaimed aghast, covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her blush; in an attempt to appear dignified. She failed spectacularly. Oddly enough, Naruto did not rebuke her. Instead he stepped over her and knelt by the cold hearth, building up a fire for the chilly evening to come.

"Tell me about yourself." He began slowly, striking a match. It was not a question.

Fu gave him a slow, cool blink, her jaw locking.

What was there to tell him? She'd suffered. Nearly been raped on multiple occasions. Until now, her life had consisted of moving from place to place before anyone recognized her. This was the first bit of genuine kindness anyone had shown her since her mother's death, and she didn't know how to deal with it. Part of her wanted to shove him away, to rebuke him for even attempting to probe her for details on her painful past. Another, much larger part, wanted to curl up in those arms and forget the world. Just for a little while.

Would that be so wrong?

She didn't think so. It would be just a little comfort. _Just a little._ Just enough to form a bond with _him _one of the last remaining members of her kind; with someone who knew a suffering as she did. Someone who maybe_-just maybe-_ought to be able to understand the pain she'd been through. She let the blankets fall from her frame and steeled both her heart and her soul, and forced her jaw to unlock long enough to answer:

"My mother sealed the nanabi into me when I was born." She began, unable to meet his gaze. "She drank the Hero's Water and sacrificed herself to save the village; but since the hero's water is toxic, she died shortly thereafter. I don't remember her at all. My father blamed me for my mother's death and took to drinking. At first it was only beating me. I was able to live with that...for awhile. Then he raped me on my sixth birthday. After that day, he abused me in every sense of the word. Verbally, physically, spiritually, you name he did it, before abandoning me two years later. After that, I was beaten on an almost daily basis, but at least no one bothered to rape me anymore. That's a good thing, right?" Her voice broke with emotion. "I bet nobody dared do that to you, huh?" A shake of the head. "But hey, I'm getting off track. I became a genin, eventually, but my sensei and teammates weren't any better to me than the civilians. By the time I learned the Akatsuki was hunting for me, I was thirteen years old. And I've been running ever since."

If Naruto was at all moved by her story then he did little to show it. He said nothing. He didn't even look up from the fire, which refused to catch despite his best attempts. He poked at it a bit longer before standing and shoving his hands into his pockets. Had he been a tad faster, Fu might have missed the trembling of his right hand. As it were, she hardly noticed the motion; because her eyes had flown open.

_Naruto simply moved._

One moment he'd been before the hearth.

_'Where did he-_

The next, he was beside her on the bed.

"Fu."

The kunoichi blinked.

"Y-Yes?"

He placed his hands on either shoulder and dragged her into an embrace. His forehead kissed hers: softly gently, as if to say _"I understand"_ and for a moment, he simply held her. Fu truly had to fight her tears this time but it was a futile fight; the thin droplets spilled over the edges of her lids as she struggled to keep them open. She bit back a sob, her breasts heaving against his chest as the sound forced itself past her lips. She wanted to curse herself for her weakness, but the words wouldn't come. Fu's hands fisted as they found the lappels of Naruto's jacket; latching onto him as though she would sink without his support.

How long had it been since she'd last let someone hold her? Only a few hours ago. In the arms of Oda Namikaze Naruto. But before that? Fu couldn't ever recall being held by anyone other than her mother and that'd been when she was just a babe. Sixteen years. She'd gone Sixteen long, painful, arduous years without being embraced, without the love of another. And now, here in the arms of the last remaining Oda, she felt as though she might swoon. Oh kami. This couldn't be right. It couldn't possibly be...It couldn't!

_'Don't tell me...I'm starting to fall for this guy!'_

Then it happened.

His fingers found and massaged the small of her back, warm against Fu's caramel-colored skin. She shuddered, her sorrow momentarily forgotten. She didn't know whether it was from the cold or desire; though she suspected it might be the latter. She'd never let a boy touch her before. Not willingly. She remained irrevocably scarred in that aspect of her life. And yet, there was something special about Naruto's touch. Delicate, even. It wasn't frantic, or furtive as her father's had been. It was gentle. Contrite. _Sincere._ He held her as a lover would hold her; loosely and tightly and intimately and suddenly Fu _ached_ for him.

She wanted him.

_Badly._

Every fiber of her being demanded his touch; every inch of her wanted to feel the caress of his fingertips across her skin. Warmed in her very core, unable to do anything, she felt her iron-fisted self control begin to break. Tentatively, trembling from the effort it took to do so, she nuzzled her head into Naruto's shoulder. He did not react. Even as her lips grazed his neck, seeking his...

...and then Naruto stepped back.

It was a simple step but it threatened to put miles between them. Fu felt like she'd been stabbed. Stupid. Stupid stupid _stupid!_ She couldn't bear to meet his gaze. But she did anyway, dreading what she might find there._ Relief_ flooded through Fu washing everything else away. His expression did not hold shock or scorn as she'd expected it to. Quite the opposite.

Naruto's expression remained guarded, but a twinkle of amusement shone in his eye. He wasn't angry. Fu felt herself burn beneath his gaze but it was a good burn. He wasn't angry with her. Wait! A! Second! Why did she care if he was angry at her! She didn't need him! She didn't need anyone! She didn't...didn't...

"Your face is burning." Naruto stepped forward again, this time laying a hand across her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

Fu, red in the face, said no!

"O-O-O-Of course not!" she spluttered, batting his hand away. "Baka! Naruto no baka!"

The silence was deafening.

"I showed you mine," Fu whispered at length, cursing herself for the tremor in her words. "Now you show me yours."

The blond arched an eyebrow.

"I'd rather not tell you about my past."

"What _is_ your goal, then?" The greenette pressed. "Your dream?"

Naruto surprised Fu then.

He laughed mirthlessly; his smile felt cold enough to frost her skin. It was as if he'd become a completely different person. Gone was that gentle boy who'd held her tight. In his place was a general; a ruthless tactician whose very eyes gleamed not with amusement, but pride and intelligence.

"I'm so very _glad_ you asked." Naruto gestured toward the crest adjouring the far wall, where likeness of a lotus flower could be seen. "My goal is twofold. First, the restoration of the Oda clan, founded by my great great great GREAT grandfather, Oda Nobunaga. Second." He held up another finger and pointed. "The destruction and/or parley of every hidden village in the world. To accomplish these goals, I've been recruiting all manner of individuals to my banner." He took her hand suddenly and led her toward the window and opened it with a wave of the wrist.

Below, an small army was assembled.

A sea of banners bearing the symbol of the Oda clan, lay around the cabin in a perimeter formation. Tents had been erected as far as the eye could see. Men and women could be seen here and there, and there were even children scampering about. Naruto turned away from her and began stoking the fire. Fu never left the window. She couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from the scene below. An army. She was looking at the beginnings of an army.

"You're insane," Fu exclaimed aghast, gawping at her fellow jinchuuriki. "How can you possibly expect the world to unite under your banner? Are you going to declare war just to further your own aims?"

"No such thing." Naruto kept his attention on the fire. "Madara and the Kage want to start a war. I'm simply going to take advantage of it."

_"You opportunistic bastard!"_

Naruto turned to her with a hard look in his eyes. They were crimson, she realized.

**"Watch your tone, girl."** he warned, his tone guttural and biting. **"I _chose_ to save you. I can just as easily take your life."**

Despite the subtle threat, the only thing Fu felt was indignation. So Naruto's tenant had come out to play. _Joy._ Her own amber eyes flecked with saffron as she stared it down, this creature who lurked inside Naruto. She felt Choumei's ire, the Nanabi's anger piquing and rising with her own in this silent battle of wills.

"You're going to lose _yours_ if you do this." Why did she sound almost sad? "You know that, right?"

Naruto said nothing. He finished building the fire at his leisure, then stood and walked over to her, coming very close, close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her face. He leaned in so close he was almost kissing her. "I have no life to lose, Fuu." The words whispered against her lips. His eyes looked dark, haunted. Her heart pounded at a crazy rhythm. Her body softened and her lips parted. For an awful, wonderful moment she thought his lips would touch hers.

Then he was gone, across the room, and the chilly air closed around her like a lonely embrace. She hugged herself, rubbing her arms against the cold. Dissapointment weaved a bitter thread through her before she forced sense into her mind. Her libido needed a smackdown. This was the worst man in the world to feel attraction toward. She chalked it up to too much time alone. Stupid. Silly.

_Dangerous._

She needed to watch herself. Never let her defenses falter. And tamp down this irrational reaction to him at any cost. Drawing a deep breath, Fu forced her heart rate to slow; to ratchet down as she walked after him into the living room. This time, the barrier rippled to allow her to pass. Was it because she was with Naruto? Or was the seal simply a one time use measure? Fu didn't know, and quite frankly, she didn't care.

"You said there were others." She began lamely, cursing herself for her weakness.

"There were and there are." He would say no more. His eyes flickered red a moment long then dulled, slittled irises falling away in wak of her words. "You'll meet them sooner or later. I'd rather it be later. Hugging herself against the chill of the cottage she walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch. One of them used to be a jinchuuriki. If the fates will it, you might be able to become friends with her. She left Hidden Cloud about the same time as you did, I'd say."

_That_ piqued Fu's interest.

Used to be a jinchuuriki? The only way for a jinchuuriki to rid themselves of their biju was to have its chakra extracted. While the process didn't kill the Tailed Beast itself, the measures used to remove the chakra were lethal to the host. Guaranteed. That someone had survive the process spoke volumes for their stamina. That, or some arcane jutsu had been used to revive them. She suspected the latter. So who was this former jinchuuriki who'd fled Kumogakure? And what relation did she have to Naruto? And when, oh when would she get to meet her?

"Yo!" A feminine voice cried suddenly! "Dumbass!"

Fu whipped around at the voice.

There, standing in the doorway, wrapped in a black yukata, was a redhead. But not just any redhead. The aformentioned garment clung to the girl like a second skin and open at the top, nearly exposing her shapely bosom for all the world to see. Fierce brown orbs glared out at her, daring Fu to say anything. Anything at all. She feared that even the slightest of response would be met with violence.

"Who're you?" Fu asked, fearing the worst.

"I'm home." The redhead said simply to Naruto, placing a hand upon her hip. She paid Fu absolutely no attention. None at all. It was like she didn't even exist to her. Although she was used to this, the sentiment still stung Fu. What came next was like a red hot iron shoved down a gaping wound.

"Tayuya." Naruto spoke her name like a man starved for breath. Before the redhead could so much as utter a profanity, he embraced her. Sweeping her from her feet, shinobi and all, his hand closed on her nape; to which he procceeded to kiss her breathless.

"W-W-W-What the hell are you two doing?" The words escaped Fu's lips before she could bit them back. Gods! She really was jealous, wasn't she? She barely even knew Naru and already she was becoming possesive around him.

Tayuya swiveled around and stabbed Fu with an icy blue glare.

"Who the hell is this bitch?"

"Now now," Naruto kissed her chastely. "There's no need for that, Tayuya-hime."

"The hell it isn't!" The redhead grabbed a fistful of the blonde's shirt. "I won't have some random bitch worming in on my territory!" She glanced from Fu to Naruto to Fu then back again, her intentions clear.

"So I'm just territory to be conquered now, am I?" A devilish grin on the part of the latter. "Well, if you're that intent on conquering something...

Despite herself, Tayuya grinned.

"Fuck yes! It's been weeks since I've had you to myself...

"Shit!" Fu swore a blue streak. "Forget about that! I almost forgot what I wanted to tell you!"

Naruto and Tayuya exhanged a glance.

"Forgot what?"

_"About Konoha's plan to capture you."_

**A/N: Oh noez! Naruto isn't going to like this! Not one little bit! ANd yay! Tayuya and Konan and Yugito in the harem! Who else! Who else deserves to be a worthy concubine/wife of the mighty Oda clan! This fic was a challenge from an old friend, now that my arms are working again! My ticker is still ticking, folks! In this fic Naruto is the descendant of one of the most BADASS villians in all of history, Oda Nobunaga! And a king has to have his concubines, no? This is by far my most favorite work ever, and will be updated along with my other fics in accordance! I'm going to live, people! So Pm AND review AND vote on the poll for who should be in Naruto's harem! Fu is already in! The other choices are solely in your hands, so by all means, convince me of your reasons! Or don't, and just tell me what you think of the story and who you want in the harem XD!**

**R&R! =D**


	3. Lovers of Darkness

**A/N: I just love these kind of stories, don't you? Its even better when two EPIC genre's like Naruto and Sengoku Basara mix together! Sorry if its short! This is merely to prove that I am once again back and this story shall once again be updated! Hope you like it! Also, this story is now rated M due to a certain scene at the end of this chapter!**

_Love me or hate me. I don't care. Seriously though...love me, alright?_

_~Tayuya._

**Lovers of Darkness**

Tayuya was trying to squeeze an admission from her lover, but Naruto wasn't having it. He'd just finished a strategy meeting with his generals, just drawn up the plan for how Konoha would be taken, pillaged, and then razed to the ground. Just secured Fu her lodgings, and confirmed her intelligence. Another farfetched plan by his former home to seal his power and make him their slave. Fools, the lot of them! If they thought a simple seal could contain his power now, then they were sorely mistaken. But let them think they had a chance. Le them hope. Let them cling to this desperate plan of theirs, and pray for salvation. When he came to end them when their plan fell apart, only then would they know what he knew. Only then, would they know true despair.

Naruto was despairing himself actually, as he struggled to explain Tayuya's concerns away. Already, he had reasoned away Konan's arrival at their base. Their most recent member however, was another matter entirely and one not so easily rectified.

"What the hell, Tayuya?" he snapped. "I wasn't staring at Fu's boobs, for Kami's sake! Every single time I bring an attractive girl back to the hideout you claim that I'm leering, and frankly, love, I find your paranoia to be very unattractive. "

___'Can't we finish one meeting without this shtick?'_ he asked in thought.

_"Ohhhh_ so you do think she's attractive? I'm _soooo_ ashamed of myself for doubting you, my lord." Tayuya had a lovely laugh, even when it was colored by sarcasm. He supposed her suspicion was to be expected. After all, Tayuya was his first true follower. Having saved her from certain death during the Leaf's pitiful attempt to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, he was surprised to find her willing to swear fealty to him on the spot. In the weeks it had taken to heal her legs, they'd become incredibly close.

She was his beloved. His betrothed. She would be the first to bear his child.

She, alongside Yuki Haku, were the first to ever truly understand him.

"Did I say that?" Naruto sighed. "No, I didn't. Now would you please stop, for the love of all that's holy?!"

With her attachment_-enslavement!-_to Orochimaru severed, she was reliant on Nobunaga's descendant. Now more than ever. Without Naruto she had nothing. No one. As one of the few brides to the future demon king, she was fiercely protective, both toward him and her role in their little society. Because Naruto had a flaw. An annoying, insufferable flaw. Whenever he found a beautiful woman, whenever he had the annoying habit of meeting a powerful kunoichi, he brought her home. Fu was merely his latest addition to their growing little family. Honestly. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Damn these hormones!

"You...You bastard!" She snifled, uncharacteristcally. "I hate you!"

"Oh, for pity's sake. Don't cry. Come here." He pulled her toward him and embraced her. "Kami, I'm beginning to wish I'd never knocked you up!" She punched his arm and he winced, even as she held him close to. His beloved. His betrothed. His one and only. So she wanted to believe. No one would ever understand him as she did, mayhaps Haku. And even then the Ice-user's bond with him stemmed from abandonment at the hands of her former master. Tayuya wasn't like that. She'd chosen to go with Naruto, forsaking her old master for the new.

_For him._

She'd kissed him _long _before that subsurvient snow slut ever had the chance. He was different. Special. She'd warmed to him, over time. They'd shared each other's secrets. They'd made love, not sex, _love_ countless times, she and him. And maybe, just maybe someday in the near future, she'd be willing to bear him more children. If she didn't kill him over this one! At only two three pregnant, and already her hormones were in a state of eternal flux: her moods ranging from wildly ecstatic to downright depressed in the span of a single second. Honestly, it was a miracle she hadn't murdered him yet!

"You don't mean that, do you?" She mumbled at length into his shoulder. "About knocking me up?" Naruto trembled slightly against her, and it took Tayuya only a moment to recognize it as laughter. She punched him in the arm again. Hard. "You bastard! How the hell do you find this funny?!" He stopped laughing suddenly. Placed a hand under her chin, tilted her face up to meet his. _Oh god._ Tayuya clung to him as she felt her legs turn to jelly, her knees threatening collapse beneath the passion of his kisses. Were it not for her hands, clutched tight around his shoulders, she would've sank to the ground in a gibbering heap. It was always like this with him. Her self-control turned to putty in his hands whenever_-wherever-_his lips touched her body.

"No, I don't regret it." Naruto whispered between heated kisses. "Do you?"

Tayuya could only moan as his lips sought the sweet spot on her neck, alighting there effortlessly despite her best efforts to squirm away from him. Damnit, she wanted to stay angry! She wanted to punch him more to make her point, for fuck's sake! She found this impossible as those lips drifted lower, as her back slammed against the nearest wall. Oh god, they weren't going to do it in the hall again, were they? They'd done that the first time, and quite honestly, she preferred the bed. She preferred a lot of things, most notably, his lips, gracing her left breast as they did now. Her self-control rapiidly slipping, her body succumbing to need she found her lips grinding against his even as he secured a fistful of her rear beneath his hands and hoisted her off her feet.

"Not...Not here." She hissed at him, her legs locking around his waist. "Damnit Naruto, we're not doing it in the hallway again!"

He grinned at her, a gorgeous streak of white in the dark.

"Perish the thought, Tay-chan."

Behind Tayuya's pale skin, the slow flushing of her face looked almost like a growing forest fire, and she seemed literally unable to catch her breath. Oh damn him to the pits of hell! She remembered. She burned at the memory, of how much she hated that damned nickname he'd given her. But her body was weak with need and she was left powerless to fight it. He half-tossed half threw her through the first door they came across. All it took was a harsh word and the servants occupying the room scampered out, terrified by the passion of their master and mistress. Both had been known to flay people to pieces when torn from their lovemaking. She'd almost find that funny, Tayuya would, if she weren't so damn horny. She barely even made it to the bed before he tore her kimono _aside _the garment shredding beneath his fingers like so much paper. She'd be needing new clothes again. That had been her favorite kimono, too!

Not that she cared, as his tattered hakama and vest joined her clothes by the wayside. In the dim illumination affored by the lamp, one could see the ever-so-slight bulge of her stomach. One might wonder if she would birth a son, in time. Or a daughter. Or, kami forbid, twins! Naruto paid the matter no heed as they consumated theiir love once more. Son or daughter, he would welcome them regardless of gender. They would be born into a world without the evils of Konoha, without the horror and terror of war. They would not suffer as he had, and they would never want for anything. They would be loved. The thought filled him with pride.

"Once I pop this kid out, I'm gonna kill you." Tayuya hissed in mock anger.

"You're welcome to try." she recognized his dry chuckle as he thrust into her, leaving her writhing in pleasure. "But until then, you're all mine." Tayuya grinned back at him, defiant as she leaned forward, dragging both her hands through his air, pressing her lips firmly against his. Yes, hers. Naruto was hers. He belonged to her. To Tayuya. There was no doubt about that.

_To me._

And she be damned before she let some bitch screw him...well, not without _some _involvement on her part.

There had been attempts on his life before, attempts made when she'd made the mistake of 'easing off' of 'giving him some space'. Granted, Naruto had survived them all, but after so many would-be assassins, Tayuya was a wary wench. Which was precisely why she was so leery of letting anyone into the fold. Of allowing any newcomers, to join the their little circle. Especially women.

_Especially Fu!_

**A/N: Once again, I am back! I worked hard to produce an enjoyable chapter for the fans of this story, short though it may be. Tayuya is pregnant! Flee! Flee for your lives! One could only wonder if Haku is also expectant...but that'll have to wait till the next chapter. Konoha's going to burn, soon and very soon! So I sincerely hope that you enjoyed the chapter and look forward to reading you and yourreviews. Now, I am off to work once again, so in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**...REVIEW, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**R&R! =D**


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